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ENGLAND v SPAIN - DRAW COMFORT FROM ENGLAND CLASH
Wednesday night's friendly between England and Spain is effectively a battle between two teams who must prove they are moving in the right direction following disappointing results since their respective World Cup exits last summer.
The story of Steve McClaren's reign so far has not been encouraging and it seems somewhat difficult to back his side with any real confidence, even at home.
Apart from winning his opening three matches, the level of performances from the national team have been similar to those under the management of Sven-Goran Eriksson with little sign of a fresh and exciting approach.
The goalless draw in a Euro 2008 qualifier against Macedonia at Old Trafford was quite simply woeful while the manner of the 2-0 defeat loss in Croatia was nothing short of embarrassing.
Back in November they avoided defeat in Holland with a 1-1 draw but again sparks failed to ignite and few were impressed. So, as it stands, there is much scope for progress ahead of a vital encounter with Israel in Tel Aviv next month.
England were even-money favourites to beat Spain before McClaren announced his team selection and now the odds have drifted slightly to a best of 5/4 with Paddy Power.
And it's not hard to see why. He promises style and flair but it seems his idea of forward-thinking is starting with Phil Neville, putting Ben Foster in goal and having Peter Crouch starting up front on his own!
In fairness though England will opt for a 4-3-3 system with Shaun Wright-Phillips and in-form Kieron Dyer operating out wide in order to get the best out of midfield duo Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard.
And we must take into consideration that McClaren takes these friendlies much more seriously than his predecessor and realises now is not the time for wholesale experimentation - it's the time for fine tuning and exploring avenues that could have a realistic future.
Besides it isn't as if life is much better for England's opponents.
The Spaniards have, by all accounts, had a disastrous start to their Euro 2008 qualifying campaign having lost two of their opening three games against Sweden and relative minnows Northern Ireland. They languish fifth in their group with just three points, which was virtue of a 4-0 home victory over Liechtenstein.
Their record in recent friendly games follows a similar trend and although a 2-1 triumph over Argentina in October was impressive, it was sandwiched between a 0-0 draw in Iceland and a 1-0 defeat to Romania on home soil.
Essentially Luis Aragones' side are simply a distant shadow of a team who went to the World Cup as hot prospects where they caused much excitement with some breath-taking displays before their eventual loss to France in the last 16.
Aragones claims he feels no pressure despite widespread criticism and is looking to win this clash and leave a "good image", especially after the last meeting between the sides at the Bernabeu in 2004, which finished 1-0 in Spain's favour, was marred by racist abuse towards some England players.
Spain's quality players such as of Cesc Fabregas, Xabi Alonso, Fernando Morientes, Andres Iniesta and David Villa, to name just five, make it unwise to discount them and that's why the draw at 9/4 with Stan James is particularly appealing.
With both teams in a similar situation, the main focus will be to avoid another morale-sapping defeat and a draw would give the coaches an excuse to insist the future is looking brighter for their nations.
In terms of the anytime goalscoring market, there is a very strong case to believe Crouch, available at 9/4 with Ladbrokes, will be on the mark.
The Liverpool striker, back in form at club level, has scored 11 international goals so far, including eight in his last five at Old Trafford and with plentiful action expected on the wings on Wednesday, he could be provided with lots of opportunities against a suspect Spanish defence.
By Bettingzone.co.uk
Used with permission.
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